Fly Away
by HepCatRaven
Summary: Hempstead Lodging House story of Corby Bridin, the child of the only divorcees in the state.
1. Chapter One

Kass folded her arms casually across her chest and burrowed further into the crook of her father's arm. Her mother reached over and patted her knee, giving her a reassuring smile. The fire popped loudly, interrupting the silence and bringing a smile to Kass's lips.  
  
Smiles, as of late, were very rare around the Bridin household. The nightly fights between the Mr. and the Mrs. had all but sent happiness packing.  
  
Kass's smile soon became weary and thin, eventually fading into its previous state: a straight taut line stretched across her face. She sighed and shivered, causing her mother to draw the blanket tighter around her. "I'm tired." She said frankly. She stood. "I'm goin' to bed." She crept up the stairs, silently praying that her parents wouldn't fight, and if they did, that'd they'd keep it low.  
  
Emiliee Bridin stared straight ahead into the flames, the light casting dramatic shadows across her doll-like features.  
  
Andrew gazed at her out of the corner of his hazel eyes and frowned. "She left because of you." He said as if stating a fact instead of opinion, sans emotion.  
  
Emiliee shot him an icy glare. "If she left because of anyone, it'd be /you. Dearest./" She hissed.  
  
"You're wrong, again, I'm afraid. But that's alright because you usually are."  
  
She resisted the urge to reach out and clock him. "Me?" She asked, incredulous. "I'm always wrong? You're one to talk." She crossed her arms vehemently.  
  
Andrew sniffed, thrusting his nose further in the air. "If you don't mind...I'd /also/ like to retire for the evening." He said, clenching his teeth.  
  
Emiliee refused to look at him and stood instead, marching up the stairs and making as much noise as possible, knowing it irritated Andrew.  
  
He tossed his shoes off and stretched out on the cramped couch, struggling to get comfortable.  
  
-----  
  
The next morning, things went on as usual. The occasional death glare aimed at one's spouse over breakfast, the traditional dropping of a smile when the working member of the family came home, and the regular ignoring of the third member of the party when dinner finally rolled around. And so things continued in this fashion for quite some time, only coming to a climax when Kass decided to confront her parents about the matter over dinner.  
  
"Why do you guys fight so much?" Demanded the fifteen-year-old. "I want an answer. Now."  
  
Andrew looked his daughter in the eye, and as much as it hurt him, told her the truth. "Kass...darling." The grandfather clock ticked away loudly behind them. "Your mother and I...are getting a divorce."  
  
Kass blinked. "Ex-excuse me?"  
  
Divorce wasn't a word used in most households, in fact, according to most people, only Europeans got divorced. It was "improper", and "the coward's way out." This, among other reasons, was why Kass had a hard time understanding it to its full effect.  
  
"I'm moving out sometime at the end of this week." He continued, looking at his hands rather than her.  
  
Kass, still in a state of shock, grew angry. "Why?"  
  
"Honey, you know we've been fighting, and we've decided that it's best to see how we can do on our own for a while. We still love you, make no mistake about that..." Emiliee realized that she had stopped listening.  
  
Kass lifted her chin and stared somewhere past both of them. Her eyes began to mist. "But...but my birthday's in less than a month." She whispered, nearly inaudible.  
  
"We know. Which is one of the reasons we settled on the end of this week. We wanted to do it as soon as possible so you can have a truly happy birthday."  
  
Once again, Kass wasn't listening. "What, were you just going to disappear from my life and hope I wouldn't notice?" She glared at her father.  
  
Emiliee sighed, her own eyes beginning to water. "Honey." She cleared her throat. "You're going with him. I'll...I'll be the one disappearing from your life." She reached for Kass's hand, but she withdrew it immediately.  
  
"What kind of parents /are/ you?" She asked, banging a fist on the table.  
  
Emiliee winced.  
  
"Kass, darling, we understand how you must feel—" Andrew began.  
  
"Understand how I feel? How could you possibly understand how I feel? Your parents didn't get divorced." She pointed out, jabbing a finger accusingly.  
  
"Yes, we know." He paused. "We just want you to know—"  
  
"That we'll always be here for you."  
  
Kass stood up and thrust her chair back. "I need to be alone right now." She ran up to her room, tears spilling over onto her dress.  
  
Emiliee buried her head in her hands and Andrew stood. "I guess...I guess I should start getting my things ready."  
  
-----  
  
"Wouldn't it be easier if we just forgot the whole thing?" Kass asked her father, covered to her chin in blankets.  
  
Andrew lifted a box and placed it outside the door. He gave her a look.  
  
She avoided his eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. "Careful with that." She called out as her father packed away more of her things.  
  
Her mother appeared at the door. "Need any help?" She asked softly.  
  
"No thank you." Andrew said icily, moving more boxes around.  
  
"Thank you though." Kass said.  
  
Her mother bit her lip and nodded. "Alright." She began to walk away.  
  
"Mother?" Emiliee popped back in the doorway, happy to know that she was needed. "Can you come here please?"  
  
Emiliee smiled slightly and lifted her skirts, stepping over the scattered items on the floor. She reached the bed and sat on the edge.  
  
Kass sat up and held her arms open.  
  
Emiliee gladly received the hug, not wanting it to end. Neither did Kass, thought she may not have shown it. "I'm going to see you everyday right?" She whispered, inhaling her mother's perfumed smell.  
  
Emiliee shook her head. "No dear. Less than that."  
  
"Every week?"  
  
She smiled into her daughter's hair. "Maybe."  
  
The two women hugged each other tightly.  
  
"Kass, we need to get going." His breath caught in his throat.  
  
Emiliee opened her eyes, releasing her unwieldy tears onto Kass's blouse, and reluctantly let go.  
  
Kass quickly wiped her eyes and nodded at her father. She looked between the two expectantly.  
  
"We've already said our good-bye's." Andrew said quietly, knowing what she was waiting for.  
  
Her face fell slightly. "Oh." She said softly. She swung her legs off to the side and hopped off the bed. She followed her father out the door after picking up on of the smaller boxes. Kass cast a glance over her shoulder. "Come downstairs and see us off mother. Please?" She pleaded, her green eyes begging.  
  
Emiliee nodded and scooped up a few loose things that Andrew had missed.  
  
-----  
  
"Well, the carriage is all packed." Andrew rocked back and forth on his heels, unsure of what to do as he stood there waiting for his wife and daughter to finishing hugging. He stopped swaying and put a hand on Kass's shoulder. "We need to be there in an hour, Kass."  
  
She hesitantly let go of her mother and nodded, wiping her eyes fiercely. She rushed into the carriage, knowing that if she stayed any longer she wouldn't leave at all.  
  
Andrew turned and put his hands on either side of the coach's doors, looking over his shoulder only once before he climbed inside.  
  
-----  
  
"Wake up Kass."  
  
Kass's eyes fluttered open. "Father?" She croaked, looking up into her father's clean-shaven face. "What?" She demanded sleepily.  
  
His smile wavered. "Don't you know what today is?"  
  
She sat up quickly, nearly hitting heads with Andrew. "I completely forgot!" She gasped. She threw back the covers and gave her father a look.  
  
"Alright then," He smiled wider. "Get dressed and I'll have everything set up for you downstairs." He left to ready the sitting room and kitchen.  
  
Kass pulled on a skirt and blouse, brushing her hair as she descended the stairs. She tossed the brush aside and slowly approached the parlor. Upon sight, it took her breath away.  
  
Andrew had spent most of the night setting it up: the kitchen table had been dragged in, and atop it sat a huge angel food cake surrounded by strawberries and whipped cream. The table was covered with a light red tablecloth. Two places were set out using their best china and crystal, and everything shone. He had made a banner reading happy birthday in German, and had strung it across the entryway.  
  
"Happy Birthday Kass." He said quietly, a pleased smile on his face. He rounded the table and enveloped her in a hug.  
  
-----  
  
Kass shoveled in yet another piece of cake into her mouth and smiled happily up at her father. "Thank you father." She said after swallowing.  
  
"Anytime Kass...well, not /any/time—" He corrected himself in mock thought.  
  
"Daddy!" She grinned and threw a linen napkin at him. She held up her fork. "Did you want some?" She questioned, gesturing to her near empty plate.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I need to go and get something."  
  
Kass's head jerked up. "What?" She asked, wanting to know her father's big secret. "Is mother coming?" She asked excitedly.  
  
Andrew's face fell ever so slightly. "No...no dear, she couldn't make it...I need to go get your surprise, alright?" They exchanged a smile and he stood, disappearing out the door.  
  
Kass dropped her smile immediately, and began poking at the remainders of her cake, no longer hungry. She pushed the plate away and sat back in her chair, slouching as much as her dress would let her. Angry tears threatened to spill over, but stubbornly she held them back. /I will/ not /cry on my birthday./ She insisted.  
  
Andrew walked through the door a few moments later, holding something behind his back.  
  
She made a mad swipe at her eyes to rid her eyes of any sign of tears and sat up again, eagerly awaiting her father's surprise. He pulled a small box from behind his back and placed it on the table in front of her.  
  
Peering curiously at it, she poked it with a finger. "It's a puppy isn't it?"  
  
Her father chuckled softly. "How'd you know? Darn, and I thought I hid it good this year."  
  
Kass smiled and picked up the tiny box, prying it open with a fingernail. Her eyes opened wide as they saw the contents of the box: a necklace, with the finest of silver chains holding a small charm on it: the letter K. Her eyes misted as she wondered whether he had picked it out or her mother had. "It's beautiful, father." She gasped, extracting it from its box and affixing it around her neck. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass of the now empty china cabinet. The jewelry looked out of place against her skin, but it was handsome none-the-less. She looked away from the glass and turned back to her father, jumping up and running to hug him. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling the smell of his cologne. She pushed the thought aside and pulled away from him.  
  
He held her at arm's length. "You're growing up fast, my daughter. You'll be old and out of the house before you know it!"  
  
-----  
  
The weeks passed, and after having her sixteenth birthday in the house, it had begun to feel like home, and Kass had accepted it as such. Her mother had gotten a job as a legal secretary and aside from that, Andrew sent her money whenever she needed it. Kass had adjusted quite nicely to her new home, and hadn't even let her schoolwork slip.  
  
The only thing that was different was the absence of Emiliee. At first she had written nearly every week, and visited whenever she could, but soon her job overtook her and she no longer visited, and she hardly ever wrote. She had regretted not seeing her daughter on her birthday, but she rationalized her actions by telling herself that Kass was better off without her in her life. Little did she know how much both Andrew and Kass needed her.  
  
-----  
  
Kass opened the door and put her books and lunch pail on the hall tree. "I'm home!" She sang out, not expecting a response.  
  
"Hey..." Came a quiet voice.  
  
She froze. "Father?" Creeping into the sitting room, she found her father sprawled out on the couch, unshaven, and a bottle of bourbon in his hand. "Father?" She asked, tears springing to her eyes.  
  
He shifted the bottle in his hand. "Don't worry love, I haven't touched a drop."  
  
Relaxing slightly, she came further into the room. "Why aren't you at work?" She questioned, fighting the urge to cross her arms.  
  
He shrugged. "I didn't wanna go." He answered childishly.  
  
"You can't just quit! You are our sole income!" She retorted, horrified and shocked.  
  
He turned to her finally, his hazel eyes glassy. "I miss your mother."  
  
"Well that's /your/ fault." She snapped. "You're the one that wanted the divorce," She continued, spitting the word at him. "You're the one who forced me out of my home and dragged me here. It's your fault."  
  
"I know!" He roared, glassy eyes suddenly flashing.  
  
"So why'd you quit?" She fired back.  
  
Tired of arguing, he flopped back onto the couch and shrugged again.  
  
Calming herself down, she tried again. "Does mother know?"  
  
He shook his head, eyeing the bottle in his hand.  
  
"I will not stand by and let you drink yourself to an early grave." She insisted, snatching the flask from his grip and hurling it into the trash.  
  
He followed it with his eyes and sat staring after it.  
  
/How quickly things change./ She thought, horrified at this recent turn of events. She hadn't seen it coming, no one had--especially Andrew. Kass knelt by the couch and looked her father in the eye. "You /must/ go back to work. Yes, you shall work, and I shall continue to go to school. Is that clear?"  
  
Her father nodded ever so slightly.  
  
She exhaled and grabbed his arm. She got him to his feet and glared at him sternly. "You're not drunk, correct?"  
  
He shook his head in the negative.  
  
"Good. Then I shouldn't need to walk you to your room and wash your face." She pushed him towards the door. "Go take a nap or something. You'll feel better in the morning. If you're hungry I can fix something up." She called after him as he shuffled to his room. Kass collapsed on the couch, refusing to give in to her tears. She lay down and looked at the ceiling as she willed her tears away, silently praying all would be better by morning. 


	2. Chapter Two

But things were not better. The next day Andrew Bridin went to work, but the second he came home he began to complain to Kass for hours on end. She was surprised he made it through the day. She asked him how work had gone and he whined that they threatened to fire him.  
  
/And rightfully so./  
  
The second day he did not come home and complain. Instead, he went straight to his room and nearly slept all of the next day. Kass thanked her lucky stars it was Saturday, knowing she didn't have the strength, physically or mentally, to remove her father from his bed.  
  
On Monday it was the same. Andrew would come home and promptly ignore her. At first she was grateful for the change, but then she realized why he was ignoring her, or one of the reasons anyway. She had realized it sitting in front of her mirror one day. She looked an awful lot like her mother, and that resemblance was most likely tearing Andrew apart inside. She felt pity for her father, but not much. /It's his own fault./ She told herself, and her father.  
  
He refused to listen to her, even when she threatened to run away and join the circus. "You hate circus folk." He said simply. /At least he spoke./ As the weeks turned into months, Kass started to weigh out the pros and cons of running away. It broke her heart to even think of leaving her father, but at least if he /was/ fired, he wouldn't have to worry about feeding two.  
  
-----  
  
She worked on her plan for almost a full month before she attempted to carry it out. Runaways were a common occurrence, and she figured if they could do it, so could she. She worked on her street accent, which wasn't hard to do considering the people she'd been schooled with. After that came clothes. She climbed into the cramped attic and rooted around until she found her father's trunk of old clothes. Pulling out several outfits, she chose three, that being the most she could carry and still run. She knew enough to where she could defend herself if attacked; her father being a worrisome father had taught her many things about fighting. All that was left to do was scrap some money together. She cracked open her ceramic piggy bank, kissing its pug nose before gutting it, and removed her ten dollars. She calculated that she would be able to live on that amount comfortably until she found a job. For a runaway it was a great amount, and Kass planned to keep it in her shoe when she wasn't using it.  
  
The night she had picked, almost five months after her birthday, was a clear one. The moon was out, providing a light to guide her on her trek; and with the temperature being as it was as of late, she needn't worry about a warm place to sleep. Things were finally going her way.  
  
She said good-bye to her room, and most of the stuff in it, including her necklace. Crying, she had placed it back in its box, trying to convince herself that it wasn't smart to bring it along. /It'll get broken, or ripped off and pawned while you sleep, or lost...besides, if you happen to run out of money, would you even want to/ think /of selling it?/ Just having the option disturbed her. She lay the box on her pillow on top of a note.  
  
The note read: Dearest father - and mother if you have finally decided to care about me, I have run away. This should be plain to you, but I felt I should tell you anyway. I haven't joined the circus, or become a 'woman of the night' or anything awfully wrong. Quite frankly I don't know what I will do now that I am on my own. I shall see where the wind takes me and go from there. I love you both, and this is one of the reasons I must leave you. Don't worry, father, and don't cry, mother. I will be fine. And in a few years, who knows? Maybe I will drift your way once again. Love, your daughter, Kass Bridin.  
  
She closed her door tightly and crept down the hall to her father's room in full street garb, her hair braided and tucked under a cap she had bought. She peered through the crack in the door and blew Andrew a kiss, blew an imaginary one to her mother, and left.  
  
-----  
  
Kass walked for what seemed like days. Her ten dollars didn't stretch as she had planned, and before three weeks were up, she had spent it all. Lost, hungry, dirty, and penniless for the first time in her life, Kass was miserable.  
  
She caught the arm of a passing businessman, who tried to shrug her off.  
  
"'Scuse me sih, but wheah am I?" She inquired of the man, surprising herself at how easily the accent came out.  
  
"Why should I care?" He growled, pushing past her.  
  
Kass put her hands on her hips and muttered a few choice words in his direction. She crossed the street and entered a bookstore. Removing her cap, she stepped up to the counter. "'Scuse me, miss? Wheah am I?"  
  
The thin woman looked up sharply from her book. She sniffed, then wrinkled her nose, turning it upward. "New York."  
  
/No joke./ "No ma'am, I means, which paht of Noo Yawk might I be in?"  
  
The woman wrinkled her nose further. "Hempstead, and if you aren't a paying customer I suggest you leave immediately before I am forced to call the police." She jabbed a finger towards the door and Kass followed it.  
  
"T'ank ya ma'am." She said upon exiting. Once outside again she took a different tone. "So's your ole' lady!" She yelled, stumbling on the curb. She righted her hat and continued down the sidewalk in search of a suitable place to stay for the night.  
  
-----  
  
About a mile or so of wandering through the unfamiliar streets of Hempstead, Kass removed her jacket, throwing it over her shoulder. She ran a hand across her brow and silently cursed the heat. She stuck her free hand in her pocket and lifted her chin. Further on down the street stood a building, which hosted a group of girls on its front steps. Furrowing her brow, Kass stopped and chewed her lower lip. Always wary around strangers, she was unsure of what to do. Her eyes roamed over the pack, sizing each up.  
  
One girl, her hat having been removed, had a head of golden hair covered by a bandanna. Next to her stood a short haired brunette, her rather large nose seemingly out of place on her pretty face. After that there were two that looked similar to Kass, black hair and green eyes, two more blondes, and rounding out the bunch was a tiny gray eyed girl. They were talking and laughing, pushing each other in mock fights.  
  
Kass's eyes softened in jealously. Growing up she hadn't had many friends, and had always longed for just one. Gathering up her courage, she strode onward, telling herself that she wouldn't speak until they had. She drew closer, heart beating faster as the voices became louder. She put her head down and ran, suddenly scared out of her wits. When she opened her eyes again she was at the other end of the sidewalk.  
  
No one had said anything. Her heart sank, but being the determined girl she was, she simply spun around and marched back again.  
  
A solemn, lanky girl gave her a queer look as she approached. Kass mustered up a weak smile, only drawing a stranger look from the girl.  
  
The shorter blond called out to her, hand on a jutting hip. "Hey! What are you doing?" A smile played across her lips. The rest of the girls turned, wanting to see the newcomer who had interrupted their fun.  
  
Kass dropped her smile. "I—uh—I..."  
  
"You don't talk much, do you?" One of the girls with features similar to Kass's pushed the short blond aside and stepped forward, extending a hand after spitting in it.  
  
"Whirlwind Stanton." She waited for Kass to take it. "What?" She looked down at her hand. "Oh, do ya not do dat yet?"  
  
Kass glanced up at her, a look of disgust on her face.  
  
Whirlwind wiped her hand on her pants and extended the opposite one instead. "Dat bettah?"  
  
Kass nodded and took her hand gratefully.  
  
"Now it's /your/ toin."  
  
"Oh, yeah," She stammered, slipping easily back into her accent. "Me name's Kass."  
  
"Nice ta meetcha Kass." Came a voice from the stairs. A blond with green eyes turned to her.  
  
Whirlwind jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Dis's Killah, she's one a da leadah's heah."  
  
/Leader?/ "Wheah 'zactly is /heah/?" She asked, pointing to the ground.  
  
"Da Hempstead Lodgin' House 'a 'coise. Can'tcha read?" Killer pointed at the overhead sign.  
  
"Oh. I guess I missed dat."  
  
"Apparently." Muttered the lanky brunette from the stairs.  
  
Kass peered at her curiously over Whirlwind's shoulder.  
  
"Virginia." Hissed gray-eyes disapprovingly through a thick Russian accent.  
  
Virginia stood and brushed off the seat of her pant, rolling her eyes. "I'se got bettah t'ings ta do den sit heah." She nodded stiffly to Kass. "Nice meetin' youse." She stalked inside.  
  
"Jus' ignoah huh, she warms up ta youse aftah a while."  
  
"Fat chance," Snorted the blonde with the bandanna. "She has yet ta warm up ta /us/."  
  
The gray-eyed girl walked over and introduced herself. "Mimi Borishkhov, it's very nice to meet you."  
  
/What a name/! "You too." Kass smiled at her.  
  
The bandannaed blonde held out a hand. "South."  
  
"So...whadda youse guys doin' out heah?" She asked after greeting South.  
  
"Well, it's a nice evening, so we decided to wait for Ice outside." Announced the short blond. "Oh, I'm Cheeky." She said, nodding to Kass in greeting.  
  
"You shoah are." Whirlwind mumbled, receiving a smack from the aforementioned.  
  
Kass smiled sadly, longing to be friends with them, to be one of them.  
  
"So, visitin' or runnin'?" Killer asked smoothly.  
  
Startled, Kass looked up at her. She hadn't been expecting questions further than "What's your name?"  
  
"'Sok, ya don't hafta answer if ya don't wanna." She continued, noticing Kass's obvious discomfort with the question.  
  
"I don't care, I'se runnin'." She said frankly, wondering if they'd shun her because of it.  
  
Killer nodded. "T'ought so."  
  
"Do you need a place to stay?" Asked Cheeky, blue eyes sparkling.  
  
Kass nodded again. "Yeah, dat'd be nice."  
  
"Evah t'ink 'a becomin' a newsie?" Came a voice from behind her.  
  
Kass turned and found herself looking at, whom she assumed to be, Ice.  
  
"Ice Princess Luciano."  
  
"Kass." They shook on it and Ice repeated her question.  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Ya have now." Ice pointed out, grinning widely. "Ahright Kass no-last- name, ya a newsie now."  
  
/Well/ that /was fast.../ "Is it really as easy as it looks?" She asked as Ice draped an arm across her shoulders and began leading her up the stairs.  
  
Whirlwind shrugged and followed them. "At times."  
  
Cheeky ran ahead of the group and pulled open the door.  
  
"Hey Mimi." Killer called over her shoulder. "Who's bed can she have?"  
  
The little girl titled her head in thought. "I do not know, I guess we shall see once we get up there."  
  
"Good point." Once inside, Killer galloped up the wooden stairs to make arrangements as Ice made sure Kass knew the rules and signed in.  
  
Cheeky nudged her with an elbow. "So, what are we going to call you?"  
  
Whirlwind stepped up to the challenge. "How 'bout Blackboid?" She suggested, going for the obvious nicknames first.  
  
Cheeky shook her head. "Too...common..."  
  
Kass dug back in her memory banks to her mother teaching her German. A name suddenly popped into her head and she blurted it out. "Corby."  
  
Everyone studied her for a second. Slowly smiles began to spread around the room.  
  
"I like it." Cheeky began. "Suits you."  
  
Killer tromped back down the stairs. "I'se gotta bed for ya, what'd youse guys name 'er?"  
  
Mimi leaned against the banister and stretched her legs. "She named herself." She called out while lifting her foot to her head.  
  
"Russian ballet, right?" Kass asked softly.  
  
Mimi looked surprised but smiled and nodded. "I love the ballet." She remarked, eyes going soft again, her accent slipping slightly as she thought back to her old life.  
  
"Well what'd she name huhself den?" Killer leaned against the railing.  
  
"Corby." Whirlwind called from the other side of the room.  
  
"Hmmm...nice. Come on up you guys, we's gotta get huh situated. And don't worry, aside from a grumpy newsie dere ain't nuttin' to be scared 'a." She smiled down at Corby, then disappeared into the bunkroom again.  
  
One by one the girls trekked up the stair.  
  
Whirlwind and Cheeky got on either side of Corby. "So, what's Corby mean?" Asked Cheeky softly.  
  
"Black as the raven." Corby's cheeks pinkened.  
  
Whirlwind groaned. "Dat's da same t'ing I said only in...what's dat, French?"  
  
"German." Corby corrected.  
  
"It's da same t'ing I said only in German!"  
  
The three girls entered the bedroom. Cheeky nodded. "Yeah, but it sounds better in German." 


End file.
